Writer, Speaker, and Professor Geek!

Monthly Archives: September 2015

I haven’t posted in a while because I’ve been busy with a few time consuming projects. Some I’ll be able to announce soon, but one of the smaller ones has recently come to fruition. I was asked to give the first talk in James Madison University’s series entitled Mad Talks (a la Ted Talks). Mine was titled Superheroes and America: With Great Story Comes Great Responsibility. It seems to have been a huge success, if standing room only and compliments are any indication. I recorded the talk and will post it along with power point visuals to the Iconicast YouTube channel soon.

Reader/Audience responsibility appears to be a foreign concept to most when applied to pop culture. We are conditioned to passively receive entertainment. The thought of analyzing or actively watching/reading something is often met with groans, often because few so called teachers of the subject ever tap into the fun that can be had in the process. If done correctly, active reading/viewing isn’t about deconstructing the effect of a film or piece of literature, but about admiring its foundation and how it achieves its effect. Reader participation amplifies the piece’s impact.

I’ll just let the talk speaks for itself when I upload the video. In the meantime I’ll tease another “coming soon” project with a smaller one that’s already out there. Those who haven’t checked out the Iconicast YouTube channel have most likely missed out on my heroic inspiration videos. Instead of a critical or academic look at superhero stories, these are meant to draw out more practical applications. As I said, a bigger project concerning these is on its way, but I hope some of you will check out these quick videos. Hopefully you’ll be able to take away something useful for everyday life.